I assume the noise complaints are primarily directed at Harley Davidsons with aftermarket pipes (or possibly any bike with aftermarket pipes), but... > The rid

I assume the noise complaints are primarily directed at Harley Davidsons with aftermarket pipes (or possibly any bike with aftermarket pipes), but... > The riders intentionally choose a less safe form of transit and gain many benefits from doing so, including lower fuel and maintenance cost. You've never actually owned or regularly ridden a motorcycle, have you? They're as expensive, and often more expensive, to maintain than a car if they're your primary form of transport[1]. Service intervals tend to be much shorter (3750 - 10000 miles, depending on model), and tyres don't last anywhere near as long (2500 - 5000 miles, again, depending on the bike and the tyres). A new pair of good tyres (and you really want good tyres) is going to set you back about £300. When I was commuting 70 - 80 miles per day I was having to get my bike serviced and tyres replaced every 7 weeks. The main reason I choose my bike over my car nine times out of ten is agency: I want to be able to decide how long a journey will take, not have it decided for me by the volume of traffic. [1] Obviously this depends on the bike and car being compared, which can vary wildly - cheap(er) to run commuter bikes do exist, as per cars, but any kind of sports bike, mid-high end tourer, cruiser, roadster, etc., will probably have significant costs associated with maintenance.